AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Nick stood. “I have a box cutter in my car.” At my curious look, a corner of his mouth kicked up. “My dad is a prepper. It rubs off.”
He retrieved the box cutter, and we headed inside. Hardy leaned against the shoe counter, talking on his cell phone. “Yeah, honey, I know I said I’d be home, but we’re slammed, and I’m stuck until the crime scene techs are done here, and they’re still ten minutes out. I promise I’ll make it up to—” He went silent and listened.
“Crap,” I whispered to Nick. “We can’t exactly cut a hunk of carpet out of a crime scene.” The blood was a dark stain on the worn green carpet, surrounded by discarded gauze and syringe packaging and other EMT debris. Nearby lay the bloody towel Kang had used to slow the bleeding. Taking the towel from the scene would be a really bad idea, but the sight of it gave me a better one.
“Change of plan. I’m going to snag a clean towel from behind the snack bar and soak up some of the blood with it. As soon as Hardy gets off the phone, keep him distracted. I should only need about fifteen seconds.”
“Got it.”
I made my way toward the snack counter as if looking for something I’d dropped. Nick sauntered toward where Hardy continued to try and reason with his honey.
“Look, baby, don’t hang up on . . . me.” Hardy lowered the phone and stared at it glumly.
“Hey, man,” Nick said, “can you help me look for my badge? It must’ve slipped out of my pocket when we were wrestling with the Rucker twins.” He gestured vaguely toward where pins and shattered plastic and debris littered the far end of the lanes.
“Sure thing.” Hardy shoved his phone in his pocket. “Better than trying to talk sense into my girlfriend. You wouldn’t believe what she just said to me!”
The two ambled down the lanes, with Hardy giving Nick an earful. I ducked behind the snack bar counter, pleased to find a neat stack of white bar towels on a shelf below the popcorn machine. I snagged one then searched for a bag, but only found a box of gigantic industrial garbage bags under the sink. No sign of anything smaller.
It would have to do. I peeled one open as I strolled out to where Dreadlocks Man had been shot, casually dropped the towel onto the blood-soaked carpet, then stepped on it with my full weight. Lifted off and stepped again then stuffed the bloody towel into the bag. I was about to close it up when scattered water bottles caught my eye in the area where Bear’s people had been sitting. Nice Springs bottling company—water from my hometown. What if something in the water caused the shambling? It made about as much sense as anything else. Nick was still talking to Hardy, but they were coming back up the lane. I grabbed two of the bottles and dropped them into the bag, then rolled it up tight and headed outside.
“Shit. My keys,” I muttered. I’d given them to the scared girl. Maybe she left them on the seat? I peered through the window then almost burst out laughing. The girl cowered in my backseat, eyes squeezed shut.
I tapped on the window, and she let out a screech.
“It’s safe now,” I said, raising my voice so she could hear me through the glass.
She shifted to peer out. “C-can you get my purse? I don’t want to go back inside.” Her lower lip quivered. “It’s in the office.”
I couldn’t blame her. “Sure thing. Open the door first.”
By the time I got my contraband tucked under the front seat, Nick was walking out. After hearing the story, he jogged inside, soon returning with a bright purple bedazzled clutch.
The girl scrambled out of the car, snatched the purse from him with a stuttery thanks, then dashed to a pale green Kia.
More saddened than amused, I watched her squeal out of the parking lot. She was probably still in high school. Too young to see people turn into monsters around her.
“Poor kid,” Nick murmured. His hand clasped mine again. I squeezed it back then forced myself to release it, feeling as if I was tearing free a part of my own self.
“Nick.” I swallowed. “I like you. A lot. But you don’t know what you’re getting into with me.” He started to speak, but I shook my head to stop him. “You’ve seen me rot and fall to pieces. If I don’t get brains, that’ll happen again. I eat human brains, Nick. It’s revolting. And you’ve never seen me when I’m hungry. I have a monster of a time-bomb ticking within me. I’m messed up, weird, and gross. You deserve better. I-I care about you too much.”
Like a total coward, I spun away, climbed into my car, and shut the door.
“Angel!” Muffled.
I peeled out in an echo of the girl’s departure and didn’t look back. It was stupid. The whole thing was stupid, like those dumb teen-romance movies where I’d yell at the screen at how stupid they were being.
But this was reality. And the stakes were too high.
Chapter 25
On my way to NuQuesCor, I passed three mosquito control trucks spraying the ditches. Maybe it was pure coincidence that they were out in force—after all, this area was well-known for West Nile virus. But I suspected the CDC had a hand in it, as a precaution.
In the nearly deserted NuQuesCor parking lot, I fished the water bottles from the bag then stuck them back under the seat. I’d give them to Dr. Nikas later when Kristi wasn’t around. At least he wouldn’t be snarky if analyzing them turned out to be a waste of time.
I headed inside, garbage bag with bloody towel tucked away in my backpack. Instead of Billy, Kristi’s security guy Reno Larson a.k.a. Car Chase Dude stood watch by the staircase, regarding me with a smirk as I crossed the lobby. For an instant, I was tempted to call him by name, then decided not to tip my hand that I knew anything about him.
Upstairs, Billy leaned agai
